Unfair attack from the Right on Obama’s lack of response?

posted at 10:12 am on December 30, 2009 by Ed Morrissey

“I hope the terrorists don’t think this is a good time to attack,” I said, looking protectively at the White House, which always looks smaller and more vulnerable and beautiful than you expect, no matter how often you see it up close.

I thought our guard might be down because of the holiday; now I realize our guard is down every day.

Man, that Bill Kristol can get nasty when Obama makes a mistake, can’t he? Oh, wait — that wasn’t Kristol? Maybe this came from Dick Cheney. Yeah, that must be it, because the article goes on to say this:

Before he left for vacation, Obama tried to shed his Spock mien and juice up the empathy quotient on jobs. But in his usual inspiring/listless cycle, he once more appeared chilly in his response to the chilling episode on Flight 253, issuing bulletins through his press secretary and hitting the links. At least you have to seem concerned.

Darn it, Mr. Vice-President, how dare you suggest that Obama doesn’t care about national security and terrorist attacks! That’s below the belt, and … huh? That wasn’t Dick Cheney, either? Was this Rush Limbaugh, then?

Citing the attempt of the Nigerian’s father to warn U.S. authorities six months ago, the president intoned: “It now appears that weeks ago this information was passed to a component of our intelligence community but was not effectively distributed so as to get the suspect’s name on a no-fly list.”

In his detached way, Spock was letting us know that our besieged starship was not speeding into a safer new future, and that we still have to be scared.

Heck of a job, Barry.

Heh. Good one, Rush, tying that back to Katrina and the incompetence that — oh, wait, it wasn’t Rush Limbaugh, either? Well, who was it who attacked Barack Obama so personally? Next thing you’ll tell me is that it was someone like Maureen Dowd. Give me a break.

If Obama has lost Maureen Dowd, then perhaps the outrageous outrage that erupted this morning over Cheney’s remarks should be reconsidered. Be sure to read Dowd’s entire column, a sentence I thought I’d never write.

Blowback

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But note that her sick obsession with Cheney and Rumsfeld continues.
No, she is just barely smart enough to realize that the Obama presidency would have been practically over had this terrorist attempt succeeded… and our Boy King doesn’t seem to realize this.

IMO this all comes down to trust. After the dithering response to the UndieBomber which came after days of pictures of the President playing golf, even the left is questioning the administration’s response to what is clearly a terrorist attack. The President’s problems and those of Nepolitano really boil down to one fact…. They have no credibility with the public.

I think that Baracky could have gotten away with his utterly detached response if he had cut it short but 2 weeks of vacation and the foreign media exposing what an obvious attack this was by AlQ makes it difficult for even adoring fans to stay adoring.

Dowd, like Camille Paglia, exist in a world of purple haze. Occasionally, as Doc Zero points out, they experience a lucid moment. They’ll soon go back to the bong and sink back into the haze. They’re liberals…!

I know that this editorial is not real, because the liberal media never attacks Obama, because they are so biased.

Proud Rino on December 30, 2009 at 10:16 AM

Ever hear the quote that a conservative is a liberal that’s been mugged? Liberals all over America woke up the last few days to the realization that we nearly had another 9/11 happen on Christmas Day and we have a government that cares more about not offending Muslims than preventing a massacre.

I think that Baracky could have gotten away with his utterly detached response if he had cut it short but 2 weeks of vacation and the foreign media exposing what an obvious attack this was by AlQ makes it difficult for even adoring fans to stay adoring.

ORconservative on December 30, 2009 at 10:40 AM

IMO it is less about the vacation or the detached response than the dithering to get to the point where he was actually out there saying he is opposed to people blowing up our commerical aircraft. As Michael Baronne points out, you’ve lost the PR war when this has to be clearly established. I personally also resented the comment of “alleged terrorist act” as if there may be some rational reason why a radical Muslim would travel with a crotch full of PETN.

Nevertheless, the reality is that for three days the public saw Nepolitano and Robert Gibbs make the claim the system worked and the President was engaged. All the while there were pictures of the President golfing and the facts of the case kept getting worse and worse for an administration claiming that air security was a good as ever (alas this is true and not in a good way) and this was an isolated radical.

By the time the President stepped up to TOTUS it was too late for him to recover any credibility on this matter.

Before he left for vacation, Obama tried to shed his Spock mien and juice up the empathy quotient on jobs.

I love it. The guy who, according to his tax returns, didn’t regularly maintain an interest-bearing checking account until 2005 and who owned two stocks in his life through 2006 regarded as an economic guru by the left.

Ever hear the quote that a conservative is a liberal that’s been mugged? Liberals all over America woke up the last few days to the realization that we nearly had another 9/11 happen on Christmas Day and we have a government that cares more about not offending Muslims than preventing a massacre.

rockmom on December 30, 2009 at 10:45 AM

Really. Is that really what happened. We have a government that cares more about not offending Muslims than preventing a massacre. Because I’m just curious if you know where Obama said, “I care more about not offending Muslims than preventing a massacre”? Or where any other elected official said that. Or implied that.

Or did you just make it up? Who needs facts when you can just say stuff, right?

Yeah, I’d rather spend a night in a crackhouse than subject myself to one of Mo Do’s rants, but she got this one right. I think Barry’s tropical golf vacay is hitting the rest of us who are freezing in record snows, and worrying about our next business travel, in a B.A.D. way.

This employee says that despite statements from the Obama Administration, such information was flagged and given higher priority during the Bush Administration, but that since the changeover “we are encouraged to not create the appearance that we are profiling or targeting Muslims. I think career employees were uncomfortable with the Bush procedures and policies and were relieved to not have to live under them any longer.”

Really. Is that really what happened. We have a government that cares more about not offending Muslims than preventing a massacre. Because I’m just curious if you know where Obama said, “I care more about not offending Muslims than preventing a massacre”? Or where any other elected official said that. Or implied that.

Or did you just make it up? Who needs facts when you can just say stuff, right?

Really. Is that really what happened. We have a government that cares more about not offending Muslims than preventing a massacre. Because I’m just curious if you know where Obama said, “I care more about not offending Muslims than preventing a massacre”? Or where any other elected official said that. Or implied that.

Or did you just make it up? Who needs facts when you can just say stuff, right?

Proud Rino on December 30, 2009 at 10:56 AM

Read between the lines.

We’re putting KSM on trial in New York.

We’re closing down Gitmo (supposedly) and moving war combatants on to American soil.

In the aftermath of the Ft Hood massacre there was an obvious tiptoeing around the fact he was a radicalized muslim. And it became clear that he was obviously radicalized before he actually killed anyone but the myriad signs were ignored because people in our government are too afraid to run up against the politically correct bureaucracy.

Obama says we’re going to fix the problems and go after those who are behind/involved in this most recent attack yet he describes the most recent attacker is merely an ‘isolated extremist’.

I love to hate MoDo – this makes my brain hurt. Of course the good doctor Zero is correct . Maureen travels frequently by air and is unconcerned with her carbon footprint because she belongs to the ruling class. However, that does not exempt her from being blown from the sky in her cozy seat in first class with the commoners during a terrorist attack. Fear brings clarity.

After this column came out she finally got that call from the White House with an invite to the next state dinner. So not to worry, her next 20 columns will be blasting, skewering and stomping on Cheney, Bush and Palin and maybe McCain.

I know that this editorial is not real, because the liberal media never attacks Obama, because they are so biased.

Proud Rino on December 30, 2009 at 10:16 AM

The time usually arrives when the facts become too large to simply trip over or tiptoe around. When one has to undertake a mountaineering expedition to climb over them it becomes obvious to others that something is up. It is difficult to hide mountains.

Really. Is that really what happened. We have a government that cares more about not offending Muslims than preventing a massacre. Because I’m just curious if you know where Obama said, “I care more about not offending Muslims than preventing a massacre”? Or where any other elected official said that. Or implied that.

Or did you just make it up? Who needs facts when you can just say stuff, right?

Proud Rino on December 30, 2009 at 10:56 AM

Why does an official have to declare it for it to be true?
Way to move those goalposts.

Really. Is that really what happened. We have a government that cares more about not offending Muslims than preventing a massacre. Because I’m just curious if you know where Obama said, “I care more about not offending Muslims than preventing a massacre”? Or where any other elected official said that. Or implied that.

Or did you just make it up? Who needs facts when you can just say stuff, right?

Proud Rino on December 30, 2009 at 10:56 AM

Really? Is that really what happened under Bush? We have a government that cares more about passing illegal “oil for blood” money to friends of President Bush than preventing a massacre of Americans anywhere in the world (show me which American companies made illegal or immoral money off working in Iraq or Afghanistan during the war, or where George W Bush sent Men into combat without everything they needed or we had available at the time). Because I’m just curious if you know where Bush said or did anything to make that happen. Or where any other elected official said that (Dhimmicrats galore, pick one). Or implied that(Dhimmicrats galore).

Or did Dhimmicrats and RINOs just make it up? Who needs facts when you can just say stuff, right?

Fixed it for you.

Dhimmicrats are traitors and RINOs are cowards for not supporting our President in time of war when he was fighting to protect us. There were damn few voices concurring with the Surge when it was needed, and he Surged anyway, winning a war and finishing al Qaeda in Iraq at the same time. There is overwhelming evidence of National Security as a priority under George W Bush. Point to the Republican who is asking the current President to quit the War on Terror! Not a soul. They want him to do more to prosecute the war. Your protestations to the contrary are lies. Pure and simple. What’s the matter? Afraid the Muslims will attack you if you complain about hitting them harder?

This isn’t really that hard to understand. Liberal reporters fly on planes a lot. An incident like this brings focus through the lens of panic.

Doctor Zero on December 30, 2009 at 10:33 AM

Even Chrissy seemed really nervous about this last night as he mentioned that he flies a lot. Me thinks the tingle is going away and he sees the experiment may not have worked. Another year and he may drop the whole Cheeeeney thing as he will be dreaming of the good old days.

Either that, or all liberals are just complete pussi#s who think they are too smart, advanced, civilized, etc. to ever need to protect themselves with anything stronger than ‘talking it out’ and loads of empathy, but get very pissy when they’re scared.

Really. Is that really what happened. We have a government that cares more about not offending Muslims than preventing a massacre. Because I’m just curious if you know where Obama said, “I care more about not offending Muslims than preventing a massacre”? Or where any other elected official said that. Or implied that.

Or did you just make it up? Who needs facts when you can just say stuff, right?